Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an American blues music and rock music guitarist, as well as a singer. Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix and other 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered as an important proponent of Chicago blues made famous by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He has influenced both widely known and local blues guitarists.

Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays with drumsticks and walks into the audience whilst playing, the latter being a gimmick he picked up from a local blues guitarist at an early age (joining or leaping into the audience has also long been common in both American popular and gospel music, as in the earlier work of Big Jay McNeely or the Dixie Hummingbirds).

Guy grew up in Louisiana where he learned to play guitar. In the early 1950s he began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. Soon after moving to Chicago in 1957, Guy fell under the influence of "Mighty" Muddy Waters. In 1958 he won a record contract with Artistic Records after beating the West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush in a "Head Cutting Contest" at the Blue Flame Club. Soon afterwards he recorded for the Cobra label.

In the early 1960s, Guy was a session guitarist for Chess Records. He recorded on Junior Wells sessions for Delmark Records under the pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966. His career took off during a blues revival period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was sparked by Eric Clapton's request that Guy be part of the '24 nights' all-star blues guitar lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall and Guy's subsequent signing with Silvertone Records.

Everytime I Sing The Blues
Buddy Guy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, there's no one there for me
Since my baby's love had been done with
All I do is think of you
I sit and cry, oh and I sing the blues
I sit and cry, and I sing the blues

Oh, there's no one to call me sweet names
And my heart, and my heart is filled with pain

Lord I don't know, I don't know what to do
I sit and cry and I sing the blues
I sit and cry and I sing the blues

Blues all in my bloodstream
Blues all in my home
Blues all in my soul
I got blues all in my bones

Oh no one to depend on
Since my baby, since my baby's love had been gone
Broken hearted and lonesome too
I sit and cry and I sing the blues
I sit and cry oh and I sing the blues
I sit and cry
I sit and I cry
I sit and I cry
I cry
I cry, cry, cry, cry, cry, oh
And I sing on, I sing on, I sing on the blues

Oh, I sing on, I sing on
Sing on the blues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Buddy Guy's song "Everytime I Sing The Blues" exudes a story of love lost that has left the singer alone and consumed by the blue emotions. The opening line, "There's no one there for me since my baby's love had been done with," makes it clear that the singer is suffering from a broken heart. The second line introduces the idea that all the singer does now is think of their former love, which leads them to cry and sing the blues. The repetition of "I sit and cry and I sing the blues" emphasizes the profound sadness that the singer feels.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, there's no one there for me
I feel alone without my lover

Since my baby's love had been done with
My lover left me and I'm heartbroken

All I do is think of you
My thoughts are consumed by my lost love

I sit and cry, oh and I sing the blues
My emotions overwhelm me and I express them through music

Oh, there's no one to call me sweet names
I miss the affection and attention I received from my lover

And my heart, and my heart is filled with pain
My heartache is weighing heavily on me

Lord I don't know, I don't know what to do
I'm lost and unsure of how to move on

Blues all in my bloodstream
My love for the blues runs deep within me

Blues all in my home
My love for the blues permeates my personal space

Blues all in my soul
The blues is a fundamental part of who I am

I got blues all in my bones
My passion for the blues is intrinsic to my being